LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The city of Louisville is using your feedback to make major improvements in a high crime area.

It's part of Vision Russell -- a federal grant that allows neighbors to decide how the money is spent. At the top of the list are vacant lots like the one at the corner of S. 18th Street and W. Madison Street.

"When the opportunity came up for me to buy it, I just knew that I had to get this property," said Harold Williamson, a long-time business owner in the Russell neighborhood.

He owns the building at the corner of S. 18th Street and W. Muhammad Ali Boulevard, which houses several businesses.

"They'll be artistic but functional," she said. "There are a lot of senior citizens in the neighborhood. They ride public transportation, so we want to give them something that is both functional but also beautiful."

Now that neighbors have decided how the money should be spent, they can also be part of the transition.

"They can submit an idea and if they're prepared to implement the idea...wonderful," Dunlap said. "If they don't have those resources and they need to be paired with professional contractors, we are going to make an effort to do that as well."

Williamson says one of his tenants is already brainstorming.

"He talked about putting those metal containers on the lot and he talked about using them for educational purposes for our children," Williamson said.